A Hot Mess : Cornbread Stacked Salad

That's right. This dish is a hot mess and I know it (unlike half the hot messes out there).

Regardless, this is one unique and tasty hot mess. 

Let's jump in so I can explain what you're looking at.

First, you start with a thick(ish) slice of incredibly moist, sweet, sharp cheddar cornbread.

Next, a few large butter lettuce leaves.

Then, a scoop of home pickled red onion.

A sprinkling of fried chicken sausage.

Followed by, a perfectly poached egg.

Drizzled with a homemade spicy, creamy, chive dressing.

All finished off with a sprinkling of cornbread 'sprinkles'. 

Admittedly, I'm not sure this dish is up everyones alley, it was in fact a bit of an experiment. In the end I liked it, liked not Loved (notice the use of a capital L), but it could easily be tweaked. Perhaps substituting the chicken sausage for some deliciously fatty, salty pulled pork (pork and cornbread a natural pair), or the chive dressing for, well, I'm not entirely sure because hollandaise or anything in the same family would end up being far too rich with the cornbread I think. Yet, tweaked it could be. Ultimately, the flavors and textures worked really well. Soft slightly sweet cornbread with bits of sharp cheddar and pops of fresh corn kernels throughout. Crunchy light butter lettuce. Incredibly tangy red onions pickled in cider vinegar with thyme and honey. Salty bits of seasoned chicken sausage. Poached eggs with runny yolks that mixed beautifully with all of the other elements. Finally a creamy, spicy sauce to top it all off. Different, incredibly colorful, and a bit whimisical. A dish whose colors and flavors, for some reason, reminded me of our newly Spring season. All in all,  not bad for a weeknight dinner!

Chive Dressing

1/2 cup creme fraiche
juice from one small lemon
1/4 cup milk
4 tablespoons fresh chive, chopped
1/2 teaspoon your favorite hot sauce
a pinch of cayenne

Directions:

1. In a small bowl whisk creme fraiche and lemon juice together.
2. Place the creme fraiche mixture in a standard jar, add the remaining ingredients, place the lid on the jar and shake vigorously.

Thus far, my favorite cornbread recipe.

Pickled Red Onions
(adapted from a Molly Wizenberg Bon Appetit Recipe)

1 small red onion quartered and sliced very thin (think caramelized onion)
2 cloves of garlic
1 cup cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons honey
1/4 cup sugar
3 sprigs of thyme
pinch of chili pepper flakes

Directions: 

1. Pour cider vinegar, honey, sugar, thyme, and pepper flakes into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat for about 5 minutes (to dissolve honey and sugar).
2. Place onions in a jar.
3. Pour hot brining liquid over onions, cover, and leave at room temperature for 5 minutes. Uncover, and allow the mixture to come to room temperature.
4. Screw lid onto jar, and chill in the refrigerator for up to ten days.

Summer Salad Series : Strawberry & Spinach

The concept of spinach and strawberry in salad form is likely no stranger to many (if not all) of you. In fact, I feel a little guilty for even posting it considering how it's entirely unoriginal. Perhaps it even borders on the boring side of things? So, for my ease of mind I must make you understand why I'm posting this recipe: 

One, surely there must be a few of you out there who have a.) never heard of such a thing or b.) as of this moment have yet to make or taste a strawberry spinach salad. 

Two, I love it. I love the textures. I love the flavors. I love how it pairs well with a variety of proteins from fish to pork. I love the dressing so much I could pour it in a mug and drink it. And, I love the simplicity. That's a whole lotta love!

I adore the fresh, earthy spinach. Topping a large pile of greens with berries bursting of juice and sweet natural sugars like shuksan strawberries is just genius in my book. The two flavors and textures play so well off of one another. Crunchy spinach leaves, soft flesh-like berries. Pan toasted sliced almonds and tangy sesame seed studded vinaigrette are the crowning jewels. 

All the ingredients are fairly straightforward and simple right? You've got a heavy dose of spinach, plenty of strawberries quartered, then a light dusting of toasted almonds. So, how about we get to that vinaigrette I can't get enough of? I can't exactly explain to you why, but this v is something special. Sure, it's got your usual v suspects, a bit of oil and vinegar, but added to that is one sweet shallot finely minced, paprika, a pinch of cayenne, a shake of worcestershire, a bit of white sugar, plus a healthy dose of poppy and sesame seeds. The paprika and cayenne give this dressing a smoky kick. The worcestershire is a flavor that's hard to describe, meaty isn't exactly it, but boy does it give this dressing a lift. The sugar balances out the vinegar as well as the worcestershire, while the shallot helps to keep it all in balance being a mix of pungent with sweet. The seeds add to the mix, every now and again you'll get a burst of poppy or sesame flavor, but if you don't have either in the pantry, don't worry, it won't make or break this vinaigrette. Despite perhaps bordering on boring, or unoriginal, it's surely one of my favorite summer go-to salads. The produce is at it's peak and can be purchased directly from the farm, while the rest is likely already stocked up in your pantry or refrigerator. Simple, outstanding, and healthy. My kind of greens!

Spinach Strawberry Salad Vinaigrette 

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup white distilled vinegar (cider would probably be delish too)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 teaspoon paprika (I prefer Hungarian) 

a few quick dashes of cayenne (depending on your preferred level of heat)

1/4 teaspoon worcestershire

1 shallot finely minced

1 Tablespoon sesame seeds

1 Tablespoon poppy seeds

Directions 

1. In a smal bowl whisk all ingredients together. Chill in the fridge for at least one hour. 

2. Pour over your bowl of fresh greens, strawberries, and toasted almonds. 

3. Dig in and enjoy!